Connacht Tribune
Commissioner asked to account for Garda shortage in Conamara
The Garda Commissioner is to be called on to answer for a shortage of gardaí to serve the South Conamara area.
This comes as residents in the area are reporting having to wait in excess of an hour for gardaí to respond to emergency situations.
A meeting of the County Joint Policing Committee (JPC) was told this week that the Garda Station in An Cheathrú Rua had lost over half of its staff in recent months – leaving locals reliant on Salthill Garda Station when in need of a response.
Cllr Dáithí Ó Cualáin (FF) said he had been told at a previous meeting of the JPC that the Chief Superintendent was satisfied with the service being provided in the area.
“There have been two incidents since then. One was an elderly woman who had the front window of her home broken. She rang 999 and had to wait an hour for gardaí to arrive from Salthill.
“When this was happening, she wasn’t sure if someone was breaking into her house or what was happening . . . it later transpired that a bottle was thrown through the window,” said Cllr Ó Cualáin.
“Another was a road traffic accident on a Friday night at 10.30 – again, the gardaí had to come from Salthill.”
While gardaí were very responsive when they arrived, the waiting time was a ‘scandal’, continued the South Conamara councillor.
Proposing that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris attend a meeting of the Galway JPC, Cllr Ó Cualáin said garda management needed to answer for leaving the area under-resourced. The proposal was seconded by Cllr Mary Hoade (FF).
Superintendent Damien Flanagan said staffing was a matter for the Chief Superintendent who wasn’t present at the meeting but one particular challenge was securing members who were proficient in Irish.
“That poses its own difficulties . . . it is an issue that applies to an Cheathrú Rua more so than other places but the Chief is constantly looking for additional manpower,” said Supt Flanagan.
Inspector Brian Ryan told the meeting that there was a 24/7 garda service in an Cheathrú Rua and the surrounding area, but if that patrol car was occupied, responsibility for the area fell to Salthill.
“We do have a 24-hour provision out there although it is not the numbers I would like to have for the area. It is something that is discussed on a regular basis with the Chief Superintendent.
“I am hopeful that a resolution can be found before the summer period and I am told moves are afoot to have Irish speakers allocated to the area,” said Insp Ryan.
Cllr Ó Cualáin said this was welcome and said blame for the problem lied with Garda Headquarters and not local management.
“All the new recruits are going to Cork, Limerick and Dublin and we need extra resources in Galway City and County,” he said.
Cllr Karey McHugh Farag (Ind) suggested that training should be provided for gardaí in the Irish language to increase numbers available to the area.
“The preservation of the language is of the upmost importance but are there structures in place for members of An Garda Síochána without great proficiency [in the Irish language to gain proficiency],” she said.
Cllr McHugh Farag said teachers had the opportunity to learn the language and pass exams to prove their proficiency and the same should be the case for Gardaí, a matter she said should be raised with the Commissioner.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
